directly to their members. to avoid this sequestration.>>bobsammills from "the washington post." i think the proposals of the administration are to reduce the marine corps by 20,000 and the army by 80,000 from their peaks. there is much speculation that further cuts in the pentagon budget would lead to additional cuts in the army and the marines. if the united states was put in a position where it had to occupy and protect the oil fields of the persian gulf for an extended period of time, five or six years, are those forces adequate to do the job? >> one of the reasons i was able to get through the chairman is i try not to speculate too much on hypotheticals. the reductions in both the army and the marine corps have been in the budget now -- they have been on the hill, the beginnings of them, have been on the hill for the better part of the year. they are reductions both chiefs of the services and the chairman support. clearly, and i did as well, when i was chairman over a year ago. there was a need to come down. there was an expectation to do that as we move from what was a couple